Thursday 6th April, 2023
You’re frustrated & drowning underneath a waterfall of failures. If only you could take a breath you’d float to the top… but you’re afraid that inhaling will fill your lungs with water. The fear of drowning makes you sink, & there’s no proof to the contrary… Meanwhile, some ‘kid’ with a cute face & an acoustic guitar is skipping along the waters surface with diamonds on the soles of their shoes, high fiving all of the record label reps who know their mam, all the while they sing songs that they didn’t even write…
What’s the line between ‘realistic’ & ‘pessimistic’?
So often we as artists survive on the whim of what could be… Avoiding the reality of what’s happening, or what might happen, only to find our logic broken in the face of our attempts. Looking for logic in success is a punishing habit that I see a too much of. It can quite often lead to resentment. & boy oh boy is there a lot of resentment in the music industry.
It’s mostly disguised as ‘authenticity’. I’ve heard a lot of people claim that a successful band/artist aren’t being ‘authentic’. I’ve even heard people claim that artists are ‘industry plants’. The implication of these digs is to subtextually imply that the success is unearned, or undeserved. That they ‘cheated’ because they ‘knew someone’, that they had a lot of money to ‘buy their way in’, or that they were given an opportunity that most of us don’t get & that this is, ultimately unfair.
All of these statements (if you exclude the cheating claim) are probably true to some degree. Taylor Swift came from a wealthy background, she grew up in a country that has the largest music industry in the world, & she was definitely given opportunities that most of us dream of. While I have my own issues with the way she runs her business, I couldn’t claim that she ‘cheated’, or that she was undeserving. How can I know how hard or how smart she worked? & how could I blame her for taking opportunities that I would snap up in a heartbeat?
An example I hear a lot of in my college is that of Fontaines D.C. Not my kind of music sure, but a band I definitely respect. The general sentiment of those who dislike them are that they aren’t ‘real’, & that they ham up the Irish accents. This claim is a sneaky attempt to undermine the years of hard work, practise, & talent that the band has put into their careers… & is it fair to say that they don’t deserve to be where they are? (I think you know my answer at least…)
So, dear reader, how does all of this effect us? With whom are you like this? I used to shit-talk Hozier for literally no reason other than I had deemed him ‘undeserving’. I’d call him generic, or overrated as a way to make his success seem overblown. I hadn’t known his history, & I still don’t. I’m still not a fan of his music… but I’ve learned over the years that nobody gets to that consistent level of success by accident.
This pathology of dragging down the success of others seems to come from our understanding of how the music industry works (or how we think it should work in this case). At the bottom, we are working so hard to get people to show up & watch us. We’re working so hard just to get an email replied to by other musicians, producers, labels, promoters, etc, etc, etc…… We know how hard we’re working for success & we believe that hard work & talent equals success. In a meritocratic system this makes sense… but life is complicated, & the music industry more so. We aren’t savvy to the factors of success. The majority of the global music industry is constantly trying to figure it out, & it’s always changing… so even those with a life of experience are being surprised by success. When you think that the industry is this all powerful machine that only lifts up talent, then it’s going to feel like you’ll be found eventually, & recognised for all the hardwork & knowledge you’ve accrued. That’s why when another artist, maybe one who you think isn’t as skillful as you, or hasn’t been playing as long as you, when they get some attention & opportunity that you’re not… it’s easy to feel like they’ve somehow ‘skipped the queue’.
& god damnit, you’ve been waiting in this queue for so long… you ‘deserve’ that support slot, not them… right?
Honestly, you might… but it’s more complicated than that. Maybe their genre is more popular now. Maybe they have a more relatable look, sound, story. Maybe their best friend is super famous & has been giving them advice, or introducing them to the people they know. Maybe they’ve been able to live at home & take the time to do 200 pushups every hour, & writing symphonies in their sleep… Maybe, maybe, maybe… Are any of these things fair? Not really. Are any of these things their fault? Not at all!
All you can do is change your tactics & maybe align yourself with something that resembles ‘what works’, or you can continue with what you’re doing & work with what you’ve got. Either way, it doesn’t involve the person who ‘skipped you’. It just involves your plan, your project, & your dream.
I suggest you unfollow or mute those people on social media for now. The kind of envy that you’re dealing with is a complicated beast & better fought from a safe distance. Sit with those feelings & find out where they’re coming from. I used to be scared that I’d never find someone who believed in me… then my producer came along. Now I’m afraid that I’ll never find someone who believes in me, & I’m sure a promoter will swoop down in no time. I still get those envious bubbles inside when I see someone ‘skip the queue’… but I try not to worry about them, & just focus on what I’m doing.
Now, as a last resort, if you need a sneaky bit of relief you can rest easy knowing that they probably aren’t ready for the amazing opportunity they’ve been given & will squander it… but that’s dark magic stuff. Don’t get too drunk on the schadenfreude.
Hopefully that helped you notice the envy in yourself, & in those around you. If you catch someone else shit-talking a band they know nothing about, send them my way & I’ll try help them see the light. I think most of us have been there.
Bye for now! (i’m busy trying to sell tickets to my show, but I’ll talk about that next week)
Or become a Patron & get a free ticket. (it’s cheaper)
See you soon,
Nathan
